Quick-operating fastener



Sept. 3, 1929.

E SAUNDERS QUICK OPERATING FASTENER rmrentzi Filed June 15, 1925 Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED STAi'Ed 1,726,965 ZATENT OFFICE.

EMME'I'T A. SAUNDERS, OF SOUTH BEL-.1? YNDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO MISHAWAKA RUB- BER AND WOOLEN MANUFACTURI'YW. CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

COMPANY, OI MISHAWAKA, INDIANA, A

QUICK-OPERATING 33A STENEB.

Application filed June 15, 1525. Serial No. 37,027.

My invention relates to fasteners of the type wherein a series of fastener elements are provided on each of the parts to be joined together and adapted to be interlocked and released by movement of a cam member or a slider therealong.

In fasteners of the type to which this invention relates, it i-simportant that the elements should interlock and release freely and that the interlocked fasteners should be quite flexible. I

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a fastener of the slider operated or quick operating type having an improved form of fastener elements; to insure "proper interengaging of the fastener elements to construct the opposed fastener elements with cooperating guiding faces which direct the elements into proper interengagement; to

attach the fastener elements to the parts which are to be connected, in an improved manner; to hold the elements in proper alignment and avoid displacement thereof on the supporting-stringer; and in general to simplify and improve the construction of fasteners of the type referred to so as ,to facilitate engagement and disengagement, increase the security of the interlocking and afford greater freedom of movement of the fastener. a

Referring to the drawings. which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my'inven- 'tion,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an arctic or overshoe provided with a'fastener in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of a fragmentary portion of the fastener showing the elements in the various stages of interlocking and releasing;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views respectively of the elements composing the two sides of the fastener.

The invention is shown herein as applied to an overshoe or arctic of the type commonly worn by Women, but it is to be understood that this is merely for the purpose of illustrating the application of the invention, and that it is intended that it may be employed in connection with other types of footwear or articles other than footwear. In the illustrated embodiment the reference numeral 1 indicates an overshoe as a whole which is divided down the front to afford separable side portions 2 and 3 having the opposed series of fastener elements 4 and 5 respectively along their edges which are adapted to be interlocked and released by movement of ajsl'ider 6 therealong.

The fastener elements 4 consist of sepa rate small metal blocks or plates which are secured quite close together,'and uniformly spaced, on the edge of'the side portion 2, said elements being provided near their outer ends with corresponding openings 7 therethrough and having the outer end somewhat rounded as indicated in Fig. 4. At the outer end of the members 4, both on the. upper and lower sides, are corresponding substantially arcuate grooves 8 which extend outwardly from the opening 7 to the end of the element 4, and serve to receive the neck portion ofthe opposed fastener member 5 when the elements '4 and 5 are interlocked and alsoserve to guide the headed portions of the members 5 into the interlocking position in which the heads of the members 5 engage in the openings 7. The outer extremities of the grooves 8 are somewhat flared as indicated at 9 to guide the ends of the members 5 into the interlocking posltion.

.The elements 5 consist or block 10 from the outer jects a neck 11, which is of a baseportion end of which proin line with the space between a pair of adjoining elements 4 of the other series, and said neck terminates in a head 12, which head is somewhat elongated in the direction of the axis of the neck 11-." and-,terminates in' a reduced, rounded outer "end which serves in the interlocking and releasing of the fastener elements to cooperate with the grooves,8 and the flared outer ends 9 thereof to direct the.

heads '12.into the position of engagement with the apertures 7 of the members 4.

The provision 'of the neck'with the headed portion 12 affords shoulders or offset tions at the top and bottom-to'engage in the apertures 7 of a pair of adjoining elements 4 to lock the elements 4 separation.

The-members 4 .and .5 may ,both be secured to the. side portions 2 and 3.in the same manner, and I preferably form the members 4 and 5 near the rearends' with 'a and 5 against 20 onto the corded edge 15 this elliptical or pair of jaws 13 having an enlarged throat 14 whereby the elements 4 and 5 clamp around the corded edge 15 of the side portions 2 and 3. In practice it is preferable to secure the fasteners 4 and 5 to the edge of a tape 16 which is, in turn, secured in suitable manner to the edges of the parts which are to be connected, althoughthe said parts, for example the side portions 2 and 3 other irregular form tends to maintain the series of elements 4 or 5 in proper relative position so that they readily enter the channels of the operating-cam member or slider in the interlocking and releasing operations.

The slider 6.is substantially of the usual form comprising front and rear somewhat triangular shaped plates 17 and 18 respectively which are secured together with an interposed substantially wed e shaped cam 19, and these plates have their lateral edges inturned as at 20 to cooperate with the rear edges of the members 4 and 5. This construction forms substantially a pair of divergent channels merging into a single channel at the lower end of the slider and having a longitudinal slot at each side embracing the material of the side portions 2 and 3 respectively therebetween andthis cam member when operated in one direction successively nests the heads 12 of the elements 5 between succeeding -airs of elements 4 with the necks 11 fitting m opposed grooves 8 of the ad'oining members 4 substantially as indicated in" the lower part of Fig. 2. Movement of the slider Gin the other direction serves to spread the members 4 apart at their outer ends and withdraw the heads 12 from engagement therebetween'in the usual manner' in which fasteners of this type .are desi ed to operate.-

ith the fastener elements constructed as herein before described, the ooves 8 with their flared outer ends an the reduced rounded'outer ends of the headed members 12 effectively cooperate to insure a proper guidin of t e elements 4 and 5 into the intermes ing position without any liability of jamming, and whenthe parts are interlocked the grooves8 form in effect bearings which engage the necks 11 and giveto the fastener an unusual degree of flexibility. The engagement of the necks 11 between the grooves 8 and the engagement of the heads 12 in the through the top opening 7 ermits lateral bending of the fastener wit out danger of the fastener elements sli ping out of engagement sidewise. While l have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, I am aware that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of my invention the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a fastencrof the class described, the combination of-a pair of separable parts, a series of female fastener elements on one of said parts, each of said female elements being a single integral late having an aperture extending throng the top and bottom thereof adjacent the outer end, said plates being arranged face to face in spaced relation, and a series of male fastener elements on the other of said-parts, each of said male elements comprising a single integral plate having a headed extension at the outer end and midway between the top and bottom faces of the plate, said latter plates being arranged face to face in spaced relation and opposite the spaces betweenthe female elements.

2. In a fastener of the class described, the combination of a pair of separable parts, a series of female fastener elements on one of said parts, each of said female elements being a single integral plate having an aperture extending through the top and bottom thereof adjacent the outer end, said plates being arranged face to face in spaced relation, a series of male fastener elements on the other of said parts, each of said male elements com rising a singleintegral plate having a hea ed extension at the outer end to engage between and interlock with the apertures of adjoining female elements, and a cam member slidable along the two series of elements for interlocking and releasing same, said cam member comprising spaced plates between which the male and female elements are passed in the interlocking and releasing operations and said male and female elements each having elongated edges at their opposite sides and extending transversely to the direction of movement of the cam member and slidingly engaged by the plates of the latter for centering the apertures of the female elements and the heads of the male elements between the said plates of the cam member in the operation of interlocking.

3. In a fastener of the class described, the combination of a pair ofseparable parts,

a series of female fastener elements on one of said parts com rising separate flat plates arranged face to ace in spaced relation and each plate having an aperture extending and bottom thereof ads jacent the outer end, and a seriesof male fastener elements on the other of said parts, said male elements being arranged respectively opposite the spaces between adjoining being formed with a substantially pointed end to facilitate entering the space between the female elements and having upper and lower surface portions diverging from said end to engage the ends of adjoining female elements and guide the headed extension between the female elements.

4. In a fastener of the class described, the combination of a pair of separable parts, a series of female fastener elements on one of said parts, each of said female elements being a single integral plate having an aperture extending through the'top and bottom thereof adjacent the outer end and each plate having a groove in the top and bottom respec tively extending from t e aperture to and fiaredat the outer end, and a series of male fastener elements on the other of said parts, each of said male elements having'a neck terminating in a head and said head having a substantially pointed end which cooperates withthe flaring outer ends of the aforesaid grooves of adjoining female elements to direct the said head between the said adjoining feinale elements and said head having upper and lower surface portions diverging from said pointed end to slidingly engage the ends of said adjoining female elements and the grooves thereof to guide the head to the apertures of the adjoining female elements.

5. In a fastener of the class described, the combination of a pair of separable parts, a series of female fastener elements on one of said arts, each of said female elements being a at plate having an aperture extending through the top and bottom thereof adjacent the outer end, said plates being arranged face to face in spaced relation, and a series of male elements on the other part having heads which engage between and interlock with the apertures of adjoining female elements and said heads having neck portions which engage the outer ends of adjoining female elements for spacing and affording a pivotal bearing for the latter.

6. In a fastening device of the class described the combination of a pair. of stringers, a series of fastener elements on one of the stringers, each of said elements having an interlocking aperture therethrough adjacent one end and mounting means atthe other and within which the'stringer is engaged, and each of said elements having an integral transversely extending cross connecting portion interposed between and. separating the interlocking aperture and the mountingmeans, a series of fastener elements on the other stringer having ends projecting in line with and engaging in the space between adjoining elements of the first mentioned series and said ends having ofl'set portions adapted to engage in the interlocking apertures of the first mentioned series of elements, and a slider operable along the two series of elements for, interlocking and releasing same.

nMMErr A. sannnnns. 

